It's been a year since I joined the gym... so I thought maybe instead of some anecdote's about the current state of affairs ... I'd give some history. And since I have only 1 follower (and a charmer, he is)... I guess it's more for me than anyone else. :)In late August 2014, I was bringing laundry up 2 flights of stairs, and found myself huffing and puffing. I did a lot of loads that weekend, and once I noticed it, it became very apparent that this happened every time. Being out of shape was not new.... It didn't happen overnight, but the realization was so vivid, and I was near panicked about doing something about it.We joined the gym right away. Garth said he'd come along for the ride to support me. We also got personal trainers for a short period (6 sessions?). I wanted to aggressively approach my wellness, and it felt important to learn my way around the equipment and what would help me achieve my goals.The initial sales pitch assessment included a review of what I wanted, and my as-is. My 4 items to improve, very much in order of importance to me, was

strength

endurance

flexibility

weight

Well, a year later, and I have lost 15#. I have to confess that I wish it was more. I have done crash diets in the past, and have lost a lot of weight in a short period. But I know this was a different approach and not a quick fix. So on balance, I am really quite happy. And my shape has changed a lot, so I look much more .... fit. Still a lot of (ahem) curves, but... I am very proud of what I have accomplished. I put weight @ #4, and I meant it, but have to keep reminding myself that it was not the primary goal.In terms of strength...when we added weight to my dumbell squats (after a few weeks) it was 5#. Now it's back squats .... 120#. I did 135# once (sort of), but I tried a dumbbell (front) squat this week to do an apples-to-apples comparison, and 60# was do-able. So from 5# to 60#!In terms of endurance: I did Mudderella in July. MUDDERELLA. with some girlfriends. I was tired, but I kept up. And Garth and I do 15 mile bike rides on many weekends. FOR FUN. And we have 121 shows on our PVR that we have not watched, because our couch time is way down. Re: Flexibility... I am not really sure. I didn't have the same kind of benchmark that I did with the other stuff. I don't really notice anything, but it does not bother me. Once I hit some of my other targets, maybe I will cycle out one weight session a week for Yoga.Anyway; it's been one of the most amazing things I have ever done for myself. I am proud of the hard work I have put into it.. And I still have fun EVERY time I go to the gym.Pretty cool....

I think Jerimiah is afraid to break me. After I hurt my back we've never really gone up with squats or deadlifts the same kind of weight as before. To be fair, I have hit a cieling twice; and maybe he's afraid I'll quit. Although I re-upped my contract already, so maybe he's just frustrated with me. :)

Anyway... He shows no signs of giving up and I have 2 targets to hit by Christmas. THIS Christmas.

Squat my bodyweight

Unassisted chin-up

In it to win it. Only the 1st one is one that is more than just putting in the effort. I think I have both a head-space issue and some physical constraints around squats and deadlifts. But both are achievable, so unless something odd happens... no excuses. At the very least, I have no excuses to putting the work in. The results will hopefully then take care of themselves.